Willow Bay to Lead USC's Journalism School

The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism announced Wednesday that veteran broadcaster Willow Bay has been named director of its School of Journalism.

Bay, who is 50 and the wife of Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger, has experience as a journalist, author, producer, digital news editor and national broadcast and global cable television news anchor. She most recently was a senior editor at Huffington Post and a special correspondent and host for Bloomberg TV. Her earlier stints include co-anchor on ABC News' “Good Morning America/Sunday,” co-anchor on CNN's “Moneyline News Hour,” and a host and producer on CNN's long-form show “Pinnacle.”

"The breadth of Willow Bay's experiences, skills and talents is extraordinary," Dean Ernest J. Wilson III said in a statement. "Her leadership will help our innovative school aggressively continue our path of creating – and defining – the digital future."

She will start her new position in July. Former Los Angeles Times editor-in-chief Michael Parks has been serving as interim director since last April when Geneva Overholser left.

"I've had the privilege of personally hiring and working with some outstanding Annenberg graduates at The Huffington Post," Bay said in a statement. "I look forward to leading the school as it educates and inspires the next generation of journalists and public relations professionals for the future and contributes groundbreaking academic research into these fields."